The scouting unit has almost reached their destination while Ming Shin is still figuring out that these one hundred miles journey seems to have intersection of other people. Which tribe is this and what are these people doing in the middle of this forest as a stronghold.
What is their purpose? How long does their scope reach for me to estimate my escape route and time? He has been seriously thinking when he faintly heard orders from Han Shuang.
The area suddenly expanded by a lot and they cannot achieve quick results by having a narrow range and everyone at such a close line up. She gave orders that the strategic and martial unit shall wait here for four days and secure the perimeter while the spotter and relay units spread out in teams.
The silent team in the dark to assist them. Since it is his first mission, Ming Shin was tagged along with Jin Hao who has been his room mate for the past month. Hei Lan arranged it this way so it might be comfortable for him.
Whoever expected for Jin Hao to be the first to refute "Vice Commander, though your idea seems good, I cannot be sure to lead a rookie like him" aggrieved which also some yin in his voice. The latter did not observe this but seriously considered the issue.
"You're right, it might be too heavy of a responsibility on you. Brother Hai, you shall follow me" she seriously replied the former while looking over at Ming Shin. Jin Hao almost coughed out blood.
What is hitting your own feet with a stone? This is. He made a threatening look at Ming Shin as if to refute it on his own will but the latter turned to the side and his shoulders were twitching trying to suppress his laugh.
Soon the ten members were divided into two man teams and widely spread. the relay team each member followed a team while the other five stayed with the strategic unit. The third person in Ming Shin's team was Fei Ying a young woman from the relay team.
The team of three were careful progressing forward for half a day when Hei Lan thought it would be better they take break considered that the little brother is still a rookie. But she was surprised to find that his breathing was even and there is not even a hint of fatigue.
Still, they needed to catch a break to eat something. She unpacked a little parcel she was carrying on her shoulder. She took some rice balls and dried meat and some jade bottle with water. After a brief break, they have continued to move even deeper while carefully examining the surroundings.
Soon it was sunset and they had to halt near a strong and tall tree to rest for the night. After having dinner, they each found a remote spot, especially the women seemed to huddle together and maintained lesser distance within reach.
Currently in Ming Shin's view, there was a fourth person 200 meters from his spot faintly sitting on a branch and looking towards this direction. He waited for few hours into the night and observed that these three seemed to be vigilant despite their sleep.
He performed the dead step by completely reducing his breathing and wandered much further from here. It has become a habit for him to practice his special moves and perfect them during night for few hours.
He soon found a suitable place and challenged himself to maintain the death step to the maximum extent. As he was moving around, he suddenly observed that he was covered in all darkness. He could not find a single tree or shrub around him.
When he tried to move, he found the ground too loose and when he looked down, he found Tai Xue's body lifeless. His mind suddenly blanked and coupled with Tan Li's plight earlier he determined that she was also left as a bait behind.
'Wait, wasn't she also a follower along with mother to that Ye Ling girl? I really hope they did not do what I think' Ming Shin smiled which contained nothing but malicious madness. Anyway, I cannot let her body be desecrated in the wild here.
He bent down to reach out to her, but she was falling down too quickly. Nothing to do, he had to follow down quickly to catch her. In the corner of his eye, he seemed to find a naked body with lot of bruises. As he looked carefully, he found out it was Bai Mei who has always been his center of affection.
This blow ensured his mind to collapse and made him growl like a pained beast. Unknown to him, the darkness around him was becoming thin and slowly the moonlight resumed. On the ground, Ming Shin seems to be kneeling with his eyes pitch black and his body was invaded too.
The pale pretty boy suddenly turned like a shadow in the dark, but his trembling still depicts that his rage seems to have no bounds. "Hahaha, how long has it been for this saint to find a young body with great aptitude. Looking at his previous step, this child has made great accomplishment in such a small place".
"What? He seems to have two small beads for his protection? Hmph, not a poor background but what is it in front of me?" the spirit seems to disdain. "Arara, what an interesting pet?" he suddenly found the existence of Xiao Lan.
As he was exploring he found a huge energy coming from within Ming Shin's mind. It is as if a person has been starved for an year and suddenly presented with delicious meat. As expected, the spirit was laughing madly like a maniac and wanted to devour the energy.
The spirit seemed to find something wrong when it felt the burn. Soon he was disintegrating at an alarming rate. Suddenly there was a shrill noise from within "No, I am the Boundless Saint, how can I be controlled?" with a panicked tone.
"Wait, wait I remember. Isn't this really void soul ? Was it not said in the ancient records that, it was only a speculated thing is theory and was never seen or obtained by anyone? How can it be found in such a small place?"
No matter how evil the scream seemed, it could not escape from Ming Shin's body despite all futile attempts. Soon, the spirit seemed to be extinguished but all the darkness that has occupied by his body was wrapped up around the shiny bead.
The void soul was immersed in the sea of darkness and slowly kept it's power under control. It soon radiated some of the potent energy and Ming Shin seemed to twitch and opened his eyes with fatigue.
He clearly remembered all that happened earlier and heard every single word. Despite that he felt as weak as chicken and as loose as a sea weed in a storm. His life was totally in control of a different entity. He definitely did not like this feeling and he was repulsed by it.
Ming Shin was also very much relieved that all that he saw previously must be an illusion shown by this evil spirit to entice him and lose his emotions. When his mind is in such a weak and defenseless state, It would be as easy to occupy his body which immediately wipe the invisible cold sweat.
He wanted to become strong and to never leave his life for others to control. He felt very lucky to have this shiny bead. 'Um, didn't he call it void soul? What a weird name'. By looking into his mind, he found some rays of fragments just swirling around in the sea of darkness.
Ming Shin was instantly creeped out seeing such darkness in his mind. It did not look like darkness but something which sucked out the spiritual strength out of him. Just when he was about to lose control in faint madness, his spirit was strengthened again by the void soul.
He slowly concentrated on one fragment. It had some information regarding the ancient records of Void Soul. It seems this Boundless Saint had studied in an ancient record in one of the ruins. According to it, Void Soul was given such name because it can never be possessed by a soul.
Every living being has a soul. So it cannot be called a treasure as it was cannot be possessed by any strong being in the universe. There have been many attempts to use it through various means but none were successful.
It can be destroyed but there will be another Void Soul which will be generated somewhere and there is only one in the heavens. The strongest soul practitioners tried to invade it, but will incinerated and died so unjustly. This made others tread very cautiously.
Reading this information, Ming Shin got confused. How did he then possess the void soul?
'I remember when it penetrated into my heart and how I was lifeless for a while. Then it seemed to make a faint connection with my spirit and healed my heart'. He was trembling with excitement with how fortunate he was in that misfortune.
Apparently, the ancient records could only deduce that it brings huge power to soul consciousness and nothing concrete as no one could ever possibly have this. He was laughing silly with his dogshit luck and vowed that Xiao Lan will be treated as his companion and must be heavily thanked for this.
After all, he would not noticed if not for the repeated efforts of Xiao Lan to eat it and produced a hunch to always keep around him to figure it out. He calmed himself and tried probing into another ray within the dark sea.